A new, and surprising, development occurred in the 2007 murder case of Jayne McGowan earlier today, with Michael Pritchett pleading guilty moments before trial was set to start.
The November 9th event shocked many, as Jayne’s house, located just off of Locust Ave., was definitely not in a high crime area, along with the fact that the entire event stemmed from a random break-in by two perpetrators. The 26 year old UVa graduate had moved back to Charlottesville only months earlier, in order to become the Development Coordinator for a local non-profit, the AIDS/HIV Services Group. She had just completed preparations for the 20th Anniversary Gala event, held on November 10th, when she was murdered.
Within four days of her death, police had captured William Gentry (22) and Michael Pritchett (18), and charged them with 4 felonies each, including breaking and entering, robbery, and murder.
Pritchett’s plea this morning was not expected by prosecutors nor family members, as a claim of not-guilty had been entered during preliminary hearings. An additional hearing will occur to determine the exact sentence; however, he is facing the possibility of life without parole.
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Tagged as: Crime, murder
this is so sad. i dated her in college